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Don't bother. Save your money for maternity tops or try a different brand.

I am quite a tall lady at 5'10 so even before I was pregnant I found it difficult trying to find tops that were long enough and didn't flash my midriff or my back whenever I bent over. When I was pregnant and had a bump sticking out this got even harder to manage! I had heard of these bump bands from a few friends so decided to pick some up.

*What are they?*They are designed to bridge the gap that appears between your normal tops and bottoms while pregnant. They can be used to cover your tummy up when you're breastfeeding and need to lift your top up. They also claim to offer support to your growing bump. They are made out of 95% cotton and 5% elastane.

*Do they work?*No! I really really wanted these to work for me because I would still be wearing them now if they did. Whenever I wore them they ended up rolling up and bunching up around my waist. It didn't matter if I wore them high or low, the same always happened. This completely defeated the reason I bought them. I wanted them to cover up the gap between my bottoms and top so I didn't flash my tummy at anyone. I tried buying a different size yet the same thing happened. Also, they offered no support whatsoever as the material is so thin.

*Price and availability*I bought a pack of 3 for £8.99 and this included 1 in grey, 1 in black and 1 in white. I also bought a 2 pack for £4 when I tried a different size. They are available in larger New Look stores but not in some of the smaller ones.

I wish I hadn't bought these. I completely wasted my money on them and should have spent it on buying special maternity tops instead. Next time I'm pregnant I will try a different brand of bump bands as I love the idea of them, I just think New Look have got it wrong somewhere with this product.

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a brilliant essential for mums to be.

Everyone knows their comes a point in pregnancy where your 'normal' jeans just do not fit anymore without leaving the button undone but you are not yet giving into needing maternity trousers or you are not quite big enough to need them just yet...its what i like to call the fat stage! These bump bands are perfect for that fat stage of pregnancy and beyond.

I first came across this in my current pregnancy whilst shopping in a large new look store near me and was really impressed with both the idea and the price. They come in a pack of three for £9.99. The packs have either black, white and grey bands or black, white and navy blue ones. I bought the black white and grey pack as i very rarely wear navy. I like the colours that they come in as it covers most of the basic ones that you would want to go with trousers, having said that i rarely use the white one and do wish they sold the bands individually so you could purchase just one colour.They come in two sizes either s/m or m/l and at a size 14 i went for the m/l to give me plenty of growing room for my bump. Honestly i think they could do with having another larger size too for anyone bigger than a size 14-16 or doing a small, medium and large size.

The band is made from 95% cotton and 5% elastane which gives it good stretch whilst still keeping its shape nicely. I find them really comfy to wear. I pull them down over the zipper and button on my trousers which worked to cover the fact my button was undone in the earlier stages of my pregnancy and now at 34 weeks i wear them to bridge the gap between the top of my trousers/leggings and the bottom of my top, no one wants to see your belly hanging out pregnant or not! Its still just as comfy as it was when i was smaller and i've been really impressed at how its stretched to accomodate my ever expanding belly. Because of the cotton they feel lovely a soft on my skin and don't irritate at all.

I have washed the bands numerous times and not come across any issues what so ever, no bobbling or colour fading. I also tumble dry them and whilst is makes them a little tighter at first they soon loosen up again so i wouldn't say tumble drying causes shrinkage. They are also totally fine to iron although quite honestly i don't find the need to iron them.

Overall i've been really impressed with this product from new look. Its comfy to wear and saved me having to buy a tonne of maternity trousers really early on. I love that i know my belly isn't on show and it also gives the feeling of just a little extra support that i certainly appreciate in these latter weeks of pregnancy. I would happily recommend these to any pregnant woman. 5 out of 5 stars from me!

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Good top extender but not good for trousers

When I was pregnant I was determined not to spend too much money on maternity clothes, so I decided to buy a three pack of New Look Bump Bands.

The Bands are designed so that you can continue to wear your non maternity trousers for longer. They allow you to wear your trousers without doing up the zip and / or buttons by covering your bump all the way down and over the top of the waist band. This conceals the fact that your trousers are not done up. They can also be used as a top extender to cover any gap between a top and your trousers.

The bands come in three colours, black, white and grey (although there is now a pack replacing the grey one with navy one). They are 95% cotton and 5% elastane.

I tried the bump band on several occasions with my trousers undone but I never felt very secure in them and felt that they did not cover up the fact that my buttons were undone. I even tried fastening the button together with a hair band to decrease the gap, but this meant I just struggled undoing it to go to the toilet. When you're pregnant, this is not a good thing! I felt completely paranoid and uncomfortable wearing this when I was out so I just used as a top extender to keep my bump completely covered as it grew. I also had to cut the label out of the band as I found it irritated my back.

The three pack cost me £9.99 which would be good value of they worked better. I have since spoken to other people about bump bands, and have been recommended other ones which are much more supportive and more comfortable to wear. If I have another baby, I would definitely buy another bump band, but would not recommend the ones from New Look except as a top extender. Only 3 stars from me.

Thanks for readingRachy

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Bump band

A bump band was a godsend when I was pregnant. A bump band, what is a bump band you may ask? Well, basically it's just a piece of stretchy fabric in a round shape that goes around your belly to allow you to wear regular clothes at the start of your pregnancy and to give you different clothing options.

Bump bands are sold in various stores and they really do differ in price but they are basically just the same item and so I don't really think it's worth paying more, especially when you are only going to wear it for a couple of months. I bought my bump bands from New Look in the end and I got two black ones and two white ones and if I remember correctly they were only a couple of pounds each. The bands are really easy to put on and I put them on over my head and then stretched them out over my bump and positioned them. They stayed in place well and hardly eve rolled up or rouched which is great. I wasn't forever having to replace them which was nice.

The great things about these bands is that they allowed me to wear some of my regular tops and clothing, which was especially good in the beginning of my pregnancy when I was starting to show a little bit but not needing maternity clothes yet. The bump band covered up my stomach but showed a little bit as my tops now did not reach all the way down like they used to do. The look was quite nice and one I liked actually as you got a sort of double look to your outfit from in effect, two different tops. The black worked great under darker clothes and the white band looked good under brighter clothes.

They were also great for concealing an open zip on my jeans when I still wanted to wear my regular jeans but could not do the zip up. Although the bands are made of a stretchy fabric they were somewhat tight so I found they really did hold my trousers up and stopped them from falling down.

I also liked the hold and support these bands gave my bump. When I was quite a long way along in my pregnancy I was still able to wear the same bump band as the stretchy fabric stretched over my bump and I did not need to buy different sizes at different stages of my pregnancy I found the bump band gave me a bit of lift and support during the day and helped my bump up which I really liked and kept me feeling pulled in and not all slobby and all over the place which is a nice feeling when you are quite body conscious.

All in all, a wardrobe item I definitely recommend when you are pregnant.

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A good layering tool

This is a review of a bump band I bought from New Look's Maternity range. I have still been able to wear some of my normal linen trousers (a bit lower down) with the help of a bump band and the ones I had from last time were starting to get a bit tired so I decided to treat myself to a new one.

The purchaseI chose black as it goes with most jeans and trousers I own and even on white they just look like an extra layer of clothing.

DescriptionA few people reading this may wonder what on earth a bump band is! It's a tube of stretchy material that you wear around your waist when pregnant to keep a bit of support and help stop you flashing acres of flesh off by accident. It also keeps you warm in winter and provides a bit of extra support towards the end of the pregnancy when you can feel a bit heavy on your tum. This one is seam free and 89% nylon and 11% elastane.

Price and sizeThe bump band is priced £3.99 which I have found to be an average price for this item of maternity clothing. Only available in black from New Look and you can get two sizes s/m or m/l (I opted for the latter). They are really stretchy so it is almost a one size fits all type of garment.

In useI wear these under and over trousers, depending on the style. The fact that this one is seam free means it is extra comfy with no bits digging in to my body. The bump bands need to be washed often but have a high elastane count in the material so they do easily spring back into place. I also like to use the bump band to protect my clothing when I have been using stretch mark cream or oil before dressing. I don't mind if it soaks in to this layer a bit but I don't want it on my other clothes.

AfterwardsI find the bump bands useful after giving birth for a number of reasons, firstly they can still be worn with maternity clothing whilst you wait to get back to your normal shape and clothes. I also like using them as a breast feeding aid, wearing them higher up the body and they are flexible enough to cover your modesty whilst feeding if you're not wearing a specialised feeding top or one with straps that hooks down.

My thoughtsThese are a really useful piece of kit when pregnant. Some people manage well without them, others couldn't live without them. I find that whilst I don't wear them every day they are useful to have with certain types of clothing like trousers. I probably wouldn't bother under a dress. They can roll up sometimes and turn themselves inside out so a bit of adjustment can be necessary but generally they are quite comfortable to wear and certainly when the weather gets cold, provide a lovely layer of warmth over your back and tummy.

Final wordFor the price, you can't go wrong with these bump bands and whilst it may be useful for New Look to sell them in different colours, the black one would probably still be a best seller. Even if the band does go on show, it just looks like you are wearing another layer of clothing like a vest or longer tshirt. These could make a nice 'thinking of you' present if you have a friend who is pregnant that you would like to buy for as everyone buys for the baby but sometimes forget mum (to be).